Apparatus for turning billets



1967 t D. N SWENSON I 3,336,780

APPARATUS FOR TURNING BILLETS Filed Sept. 3, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVE/VT'OR DOIV N. SWE/VSO/V Attorney Aug. '22, 1967 D. N. SWENSON APPARATUS FOR TURNING BILLETS 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed S ept. 1964 Aug. 22, 1967 D SWENSON 3,336,780

I APPARATUS FOR TURNING BILLETS Filed Sept. 3, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet s Attorney 22, 1967 D. N. SWENSCN 3,336,780

APPARATUS FOR TURNING BILLETS Filed Sept. L6, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 h INVENTOR DON /V .SWE/VSO/V Aflorn ey 3,336,780 APPARATUS FOR TURNING BILLETS Don N. Swenson, Spanish Fork, Utah, assignor to United States Steel Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Filed Sept. 3, 1964, Ser. No- 394,284 4 Claims. (Cl. 72231) The present invention relates generally to rolling mill equipment and more particularly to an improved apparatus for turning billets on a tiltable roller table of a rolling mill.

Although not restricted thereto, the apparatus of the invention finds practical application in the turning of a billet being rolled on a three-high mill before it enters each pass through the mill, and in that application I shall, in an exemplary way, describe it.

As is known, aconventional three-high rolling mill comprises three rolls in a housing arranged one above the other. Each roll revolves continuously in one direction; the top and bottom rolls in the same direction and the middle roll in the opposite direction. A billet being rolled is lowered from a return top pass of the mill to a bottom pass by lift tables which are mechanically tilted to lower or raise the billet,

The billet being rolled, which may be round or square, must be turned 90 degrees about its longitudinal axis before it enters each succeeding pass of the mill. Prior to my invention, such turning was accomplished manually by a workman using a long handled, open-end wrench. This method of turning the billet was hazardous for the workman and excessively time-consuming. Further, when rolling certain sizes and shapes of billets, it was necessary for the workman to ride the tilting table near the roll stand and continue holding the billet until it entered the roll pass so as to prevent the billet from turning back to its original position and entering the roll pass improperly. This, of course, increased the danger to which the workman was exposed.

It is, accordingly, the primary object of my invention to eliminate manual manipulation of billets and the attendant hazards and delays during rolling on a three-high mill and the like by providing a mechanical turner operable by tilting of the roller table to automatically turn a billet as it is presented for entry into a roll pass.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a mechanical turner of the character set forth in the above statement of object which functions, after the billet, to support the turned billet so as to insure its proper entry into the roll pass of the mill.

It is another object of my invention to provide a mechanical turner of the character set forth above which is particularly adapted to withstand, with minimum maintenance, the rugged conditions encountered in heavy hotmetal rolling; and which is easy to install on presently existing and operating roller tables.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art after reading the present specification and the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a rolling mill roller table having the billet turning apparatus of the invention incorporated therein;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line IIIIII of FIGURE 1;

. United States Patent 3,336,780- Patented Aug. 22, 1967 FIGURE 4 is a view similar to FIGURE 3 but showing the position of the billet turning apparatus of the invention when the roller table is in raised position;

FIGURE 5 is a plan view of the billet turning apparatus of the invention showing the disposition thereof when the roller table is in raised position;

FIGURE 6 is a side elevational view taken along the line VI-VI of FIGURE 5;

FIGURE 7 is a sectional view partly in elevation taken along the line VII-VII of FIGURE 5;

FIGURE 8 is a view similar to a portion of FIGURE 5 but enlarged; and

FIGURE 9 is a sectional view taken along the line IXIX of FIGURE 8.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, reference numeral 2 designates a roller table pivotally mounted by one end on a fixed roller table truck 4 for conducting billets to and from the roll mill stand 6 of a three-high rolling mill. The roller table is tiltable about a transversely extending pivot shaft 8 by means of a powered crank 10 between an upper position where the front end 12 of the table is adjacent the top pass of the roll stand, as shown by chain lines in FIGURE 2; and a lower position where the front end of the table is adjacent the lower pass of the mill stand. In upper position the roller table is adapted to receive a billet from the roll stand and in lower position the table is aligned with the lower pass of the mill to conduct a billet thereto. The table 2 is provided with reversible driven rollers 14 for moving'a billet therealong.

A separator bar 16 is provided extending along the upper surface of the roller table 2 adjacent the mill stand 6 for guiding a billet emerging from the top roll pass to a deflector 18 which shifts the billet laterally to the opposite side of the roller table. The separator bar also serves to guide a billet as it is being conducted along the roller table to the lower roll pass of the mill.

The apparatus thus far described is conventional in structure and function and is not claimed as my invention which will now be described in detail.

The billet turning apparatus of the invention includes a frame 20 formed with a base 21, an upstanding wall 22 along one side, and a pair of spaced, upstanding, parallel plates opposite the wall 22 extending normal thereto. Each of the plates 24 and 26 is formed with aligned center openings for accommodating the passage of a billet therethrough. One side of the center opening of plate 26 is beveled as at 27 to form a modified bellmouth entrance for a billet. The frame 20 is bolted to the roller table 2 intermediate the ends thereof between a pair of adjacent rollers 14- with the upstanding wall directed longitudinally of the table.

As best shown in FIGURES 5 and 7, the plates 24 and 26 extend along approximately half of the width of the frame 20 and are connected together at their inner edges by a plate 28 which may be welded to the plates 24 and 26. Plate 28 extends between the plates 24 and 26 parallel with and spaced from the upstanding wall 22. Plate 28 and wall 22 together with the portion of base 21 therebetween define a passageway 29 for a billet, as will become apparent hereinafter.

Three roller assembly shafts 30, each having circumferential grooves 32 formed thereon adjacent their ends, are journaled in and extend between the plates 24 and 26 at three corners thereof, as best shown in FIGURES 5, 6 and 7. A pair of opposed stub Shafts 34, each having a roller 36 rotatably mounted thereon, are fitted in the plates 24 and 26 and locked therein by set screws 38 to provide a roller assembly at the fourth corner of the plates 24 and 26 (see FIGURES through 8). The grooves 32 and rollers 36 of the roller assemblies rotatably support a box structure 40 within the enclosure formed by base 21 and plates 24, 26 and 28.

Box structure 40 is made up of a pair of spaced, parallel ring plates 42 separated by a pair of substantially crescent-shape plate segments 44 which are welded or otherwise rigidly attached to and extend between the facing surfaces of the ring plates in opposed relation to each other. A pair of opposed channel sections 46 each having a web 48 and flanges 50 are welded by their flanges to the facing surfaces of the ring plates 42 between the crescent-shape plate segments 44 to accommodate the H-shape bearing blocks 52 of two guide rolls 54 in the box structure (see FIGURES 8 and 9). As shown in FIGURE 9, the bearing blocks of the two rolls are separated by means of two helical springs 56 disposed between the fianges of each of the channel sections 46. Each channel section is provided with an end plate 58 for closing its bottom end. An adjusting transom member 60 extends across the top of the box structure between the ring plates and is retained therein by means of four pins 62 which are fitted into suitable openings in member 60 and locked therein by set screws 64. The pins 62 extend laterally from the transom into holes 66 in the opposed ring plates. Set screws 68 are threaded into the member 60 and are adapted to apply pressure on the bearing blocks of the upper guide roll 54. The adjusting member 60 serves to hold the guide roll assemblies in place from the top of the box structure and also, through set screws 68, provide means for adjusting the spacing between the guide rolls. If desired, shims 70 may be interposed between the bottom plates 58 and the lower bearing blocks 54 and between the set screws 68 and the upper bearing blocks 54 if necessary to properly adjust the spacing between the guide rolls.

As best shown in FIGURES 5, 7, 8 and 9, the center openings of the ring plates 42 are rectangular in shape. The opening through the ring plate 42 at the entrance end 72 of the box structure is also beveled at its edges to provide a bell-mouth entry into the box structure.

A pair of vertical guide rollers 74 are journaled in spaced relation in the ends of pivotally mounted brackets 76 adjacent the entry side of plate 26 for laterally engaging and guiding a billet entering the turning apparatus of the invention. The brackets are pivotally mounted on and extend from bracket supports 78 and 80. A fillet 82 is welded or otherwise rigidly fastened along the upper edge of bracket support 78 (see FIGURES 5, 7 and 8) and a bar 84 is rigidly connected with and extends normal to plate 26 toward bracket support 80 opposite to and parallel with fillet 82 to support a cover plate 86. Each of the rollers 74 is mounted on a shaft 88 which fits at its upper end in an arcuate slot 90 in the cover plate 86 and at its bottom end in an arcuate slot 92 in the frame 20. The shafts 88 are adjustably secured in the slots by means of a lock nut 94 to accommodate various size billets.

A turning arm 96 is rigidly attached to the box structure 40 and projects therefrom beyond the plates 24 and 26. A linkage, designated generally by reference numeral 98, is connected with turning arm 96 for rotating box structure 40 approximately 90 degrees between the position shown in FIGURE 3 and the position shown in FIG- URE 4 as the table 2 is moved upwardly or downwardly. In moving from one position to the other, the turning arm passes between the stub shafts 34 and the box structure rotates on the roller assemblies at the four corners of the plates 24 and 26.

The linkage 98 includes an angularly shaped link 100 pivotally connected at one end with turning arm 96 by a swivel bolt 102 and at its other end to a substantially straight link 104 by two sets of nut-and-bolt means 106. The bottom end of link 104 is pivotally connected with a swinging arm 108 which is pivotally connected at one end with a bracket 110 affixed to the side of roller table 2. Swinging arm 108 is pivotally connected intermediate its length with one end of a straight link 112 which is pivotally connected at its other end with a bracket 114 affixed to the roller table truck 4. The turning arm 96, links 100 and 104 are provided with slots 116, 118 and 120, respectively, for receiving the connecting bolts; and swinging arm 108 is provided with a series of aligned holes 122 for receiving pin 124 which connects link 104 with swinging arm 108. The holes 122 serve as means for changing the degree of rotation of box structure 40 by linkage 98 as the roller table 2 tilts up or down. The slots 116, 118 and permit fine adjustments to be made to the linkage to adjust the degree of rotation of box structure 40. FIGURE 3 illustrates the position of the billet turning apparatus of the invention when the roller table 2 is in lowered, non-tilted position, and FIGURE 4 illustrates the position of the turning apparatus when the roller table is in raised, tilted position.

In operation, the table 2 is raised or tilted upwardly, as shown by chain lines in FIGURE 2, to receive a billet from the top return pass of the mill stand 6. The rollers 14 are then driven to conduct the billet away from the mill stand in the direction indicated by arrow 126 in FIGURE 1. As the billet travels away from the mill stand it passes through passageway 29 of frame 20 and then is shifted laterally to the opposite side of the table by the deflector 18 as the billet clears the frame. The rollers 14 are then driven in the reverse direction to cause the billet to enter the turning apparatus of the invention in the direction indicated by arrow 128 in FIG- URE 1. As the leading end of the billet enters between the guide rolls 54 in the box structure 40, the table 2 is lowered so that the billet is directed for entrance into the bottom pass of the mill stand. As the roller table is lowered, linkage 98 functions to rotate the box structure 40 ninety degrees to the position shown in FIGURE 3. As the box structure rotates, it turns the billet ninety degrees about its longitudinal axis and holds it in that posiion as the billet passes between the guide rolls 54 and enters the bottom pass of the mill stand.

While only one particular embodiment of this invention has been illustrated and described herein, it will be apparent that various changes and modifications may be made in the construction and arrangement of the various parts without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention in its broader aspects or as defined 1n the following claims.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for turning billets comprising the combination with a roller table tiltable on a fixed base about a transverse axis adjacent one end, a billet-receiving channel extending longitudinally along one side of said table,

a billet-feeding channel adjacent said billet-receiving channel, said channels extending from one end of said table to a point intermediate the length thereof, means for moving a billet laterally from said billet-receiving channel to said billet-feeding channel, reversible means for propelling a billet along said table in which the improvement comprises a frame mounted on said table and extending transversely thereof, a box structure rotatable in said frame about an axis extending longitudinally of the billet-feeding channel of said table, said structure having a central opening therethrough communicating with the inner end of said billet-feeding channel, means mounted in said structure defining a shaped pass through said opening, and a linkage pivoted to said structure and to said fixed base whereby tilting of the table efiects turning of said structure.

2. Apparatus for turning billets as defined by claim 1 in which said pass-defining means is a pair of spaced cooperating rollers journaled in said box structure.

3. Apparatus for turning billets as defined by claim 2 in which said box structure has bearings adjustably mounted therein, and said rollers are journaled in said bearings.

4. Apparatus for turning billets as defined by claim 1 in which said frame has bearing brackets pivoted to opposite sides thereof and extending inwardly from one end thereof, and a guide roller is journaled on each bracket.

6 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS CHARLES W. LANHAM, Primary Examiner. H. D. HOINKES, Assistant Examiner. 

1. APPARATUS FOR TURNING BILLETS COMPRISING THE COMBINATION WITH A ROLLER TABLE TILTABLE ON A FIXED BASE ABOUT A TRANSVERSE AXIS ADJACENT ONE END, A BILLET-RECEIVING CHANNEL EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY ALONG ONE SIDE OF SAID TABLE, A BILLET-FEEDING CHANNEL ADJACENT SAID BILLET-RECEIVING CHANNEL, SAID CHANNELS EXTENDING FROM ONE END OF SAID TABLE TO A POINT INTERMEDIATE THE LENGTH THEREOF, MEANS FOR MOVING A BILLET LATERALLY FROM SAID BILLET-RECEIVING CHANNEL TO SAID BILLET-FEEDING CHANNEL, REVERSIBLE MEANS FOR PROPELLING A BILLET ALONG SAID TABLE IN WHICH THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISES A FRAME MOUNTED ON SAID TABLE AND EX- 